https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/151908a8b983a0c1de19720ae83507b3.pdf 8cda57b916313fb54ea10a016c79eb34 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document djrtjlgue en vertu de la loi sur faeces a I finformation information jf-c>//>*yy. ui>:' FM j ^ ICRET • / TO " 4 V < 70 t , / // INFO WASHDC NATOPARIS ENBASSYPARIS BONN BRUSSELS HAGUE A ^ g p / / * AL. I * It NATO MINISTERIAL MEETING ft T~ YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WE CALLED ON SIR GILBERT LAITHWAITE AND MORRIS JAMES AT THE COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS OFFICE AT THEIR REQUEST.THEY WISHED TO DISCUSS THE NATO MINISTERIAL MEETING.LAITHWAITE SAID THAT HE WOULD PROPOSE TO HAVE A MEETING OF OLD COMMONWELATH REPS IN LONDON SHORTLY BEFORE THE MEETING,AND AGAIN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS,TO KEEP THEM INFORMED ABOUT PLANS FOR AND DEVELOPMENTS AT THE NATO MEETING.HE HOPED THAT WE WOULD ASSIST IN THIS,AND WE PROMISED TO DO SO. 2 . 0 N SUBSTANCE,THERE WAS LITTLE OF IMPORTANCE SAID,THE FOLLOWING POINTS WHICH THE CRO HAD OBVIOUSLY GLEANED FROM THE FO,MAY BE WORTH REPORTING. 3.LAITHWAITE AND JAMES RAN THROUGH THE PROSPECTS FOR THE HEADS OF GOVT MEETING.THEY SAID FRANKLY THAT THEY DID NOT THINK PRESIDENT EISENHOWER OR MR MACMILLAN,NOR SPAAK HAD REALIZED WHEN THEY HAD SUGGESTED A HEADS OF GOVT MEETING IN DEC,THE VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEMS TO WHICH IT WOULD GIVE RISE.THERE WERE NOW TWO DANGERSlONE WAS THAT I THE HIGH EXPECTATIONS CREATED BY CALLING A HEADS OF GOVT MEETING WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY DISILLUSIONMENT IN VIEW OF THE UNLIKELIHOOD OF IMPORTANT SUBSTANTIVE DECISIONS BEING TAKEN.EVEN MORE DANGEROUS,OF COURSE,WOULD BE TO TAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON VITAL ISSUES WITHOUT ADEQUATE PREPARATIONS.THEY MADE IT CLEAR THAT IN THEIR VIEW THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GIVE ADEQUATE THOUGHT,EVEN WITHIN TWO OR THREE GOVTS,TO SAY NOTHING OF ADEQUATE DIPLOMATIC PREPARATIONS AMONG NATO MEMBERS AS A WHOLE,ON THE MANY FUNDEMENTAL QUESTIONS IMPLICIT IN TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THE VERY GENERAL PRINCIPLES SET OUT IN THE WASHDC DEDLARATION. 4.UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES THE UK CONSIDERED THE PUBLIC RELATIONS ASPECT OF THE EXERCISE VERY IMPORTANT AS THEY KNEW WE DID.LAITH WAITE REFERRED TO THE UK DRAFT OF A COMMUNIQUE THE TEXT OF WHICH YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM PARIS.LAITHWAITE DID NOT HIDE HIS OWN VIEW THAT THE COMMUNIQUE WAS NOT A VERY IMPRESSIVE DOCUMENT.HE DID NOT, .2 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur faeces a I'information PAGE TWO 2 9 7 0 A 1T.F0R OUR JQp OWN PART WE AGREED THAT THE QUESTION OF THE UK DRAFT,PLUS THE CANADIAN AND OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR A DECLARATION,WOULD ALL BE DISCUSSED IN PARIS. 5.ON MORE SUBSTANTIVE QUESTIONS,LAITHWAITE MENTIONED THAT THE AMERICANS HAD PROMISED TO TABLE A NUMBER OF PAPERS IN PARIS TOMORROW.THE UK HAD NOT AS YET RECEIVED COPIES,BUT EXPECTED TO DO SO SHORTLY.LAITHWAITE SAID THAT THE UK FOR ITS PART MIGHT BE PUTTING IN A PAPER ON BALANCED COLLECTIVE FORCES,THOUGH THIS WAS NOT YET CERTAIN. S.THE COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS OFFICE OFFICIALS WERE QUITE CONSCIOUS OF THE DIFFICULT POLITICAL PROBLEMS LIKELY TO BE CAUSED BY PROPOSALS TO STOCKPILE TACTICAL,OR PARTICULARLY STRATEGIC,NUCLEAR WARI HEADS,PLUS SHORT AND INTERMEDIATE RANGE MISSILES,ON THE CONTINENT. I THEY WERE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS ON RELATIONS WITH COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE AND FAR EAST.HOWEVER, THEY CONSIDERED THAT IT WOULD BE PREMATURE TO EXPRESS SUBSTANTIVE VIEWS ON THIS MATTER UNTIL MORE WAS KNOWN ABOUT THE AMERICAN PROPOSALS AND THERE WAS TIME TO GIVE FULL CONSIDERATION TO THE MANY PROBLEMS INVOLVED. 7.THIS MORNING WE CALLED ON SIR RICHARD POWELL AT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE SUBSTANTIVE PROBLEMS INVOLVED.WE ARE REPORTING SEPARATELY ON THIS CONVERSATION. 000751 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW02217 Title A name given to the resource London to External 2970 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 03-Dec-57 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived �NATO - Stockpiling of atomic weapons in NATO countries,� RG25-A-3-b, vol. 5958, 50219-AL-1-40, pt. 1.1, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Department of External Affairs Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource atomic cooperation, NATO, nuclear weapons, Europe Description An account of the resource NATO Ministerial Meeting Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en